I posted a while back that I was working on reorganizing my house. In the time since, and with the help of a good friend, I have done so. I wanted to touch on this again, and let you all know the results.
First, I used the Marie Kondo methodology –
- Do it all at once if you can
- Get rid of anything that doesn’t bring joy
That was my structural approach to making things better in my house. That, and finally getting something that I could use as a pantry (do not get me started on houses that don’t have a nice, tall cabinet built into the kitchen cabinet layout). I got two cupboards from Target that I set side by side and screwed into the wall. Then I emptied the two upper cabinets I have been using as a pantry for the past 10 years into them. Getting rid of things that no one liked, or were in the back and expired. Woot! 2 new cabinets in my kitchen! Which allowed me to clean off the counters, and the top of the fridge. Toss, donate, or put away. That’s how it went. The kitchen was finished in quicker time than I EVER thought possible.
We worked on the front room, the dining room, the family room, the basement play area, my bedroom, and my office. Same idea – toss, donate, or put away. I lost count of how many times I went to Goodwill and did the drive-thru drop off donation thing. But my house is now less cluttered. My laundry all fits in my dressers and closet. Everything has a place.
What’s it been like in the past month since De-clutter Con 2016?
AWESOME, that’s what it has been like. There’s not as much detritus and unnecessary stuff rolling around my house, being moved from one space to another, never being dealt with. I am following the touch it once rule – I touch it once, and handle it then. Because I don’t have the weight of tons of other crap in front of me – I can follow this rule. (I will admit my in basket on my desk still has a bit of the cluttered look, but I go through it each week.) Laundry is always done. And caught up. I can’t even remember the last time I could say that for more than one week in a row. But knowing I have enough room for it, and that things will fit has made a huge difference. Mom, you were right. I had too damn many clothes.
And it’s not like my place was a candidate for an episode of Hoarders, either. I just had too much stuff, and no real good systems in place for dealing with it. Now I do.
I have a bag for ‘Donate’ going at all times. I head to Goodwill for drop off every 2 weeks. Which says I buy too damn much. I’m working on that – I won’t buy something if I don’t really need it, or I don’t really love it and know I am going to use it. I worked too hard to get rid of stuff. I don’t want more stuff just coming back in.
The other good thing is that my family is responding positively as well. They like the place being tidier, less cluttered. They love the pantry system we now have. The kids can reach things, which they love. I don’t have to fuss as much about please pick up your debris, because people like having the place tidy.
It’s a miracle!
So there it is. People are happier, tension is less, and I don’t feel weighed down by things I “have to deal with”. Because I dealt with them. And it set me free.
Give yourself 3 days. Get a friend (not a family member that lives in the house, because I fully believe you NEED someone who is not invested in your home and space) to come over and help you ruthlessly go through things. Toss, donate, find the space – those are your categories. Set things up in a way that works for you and your family. And push through every area in your house you want to work on.
You’ll be glad you did. It’s made our lives less stressful, and more enjoyable.